Aerial shell



, Nov, 9, 1937 E. JEANlS I 2,098,627

AERIAL SHELL Filed Jan. 3,1935 3 sheets-Sme t l /4 I ZW i l i I 0 o: o 4 E o "20 F i 1 0 go: o 1

I O O O 1 of0: 01 0 o 04 g 0 I01 0 1 0 0 0e 1 l I I /Z O i :0; O 4 P 0 I l l I I 0 IO- 0 1 0 o 0 4 fl Inventor W v. BYM

Attorney E. JEANIS AERIAL SHELL Nov. 9, 1937.

3' Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 3, 1935 Inventor Zayazzc Jkarzz'i,

Attorney Nov. v9, 1937.

E. J EANIS AERIAL SHELL Filed Jail. '5, 1955 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Attomey Patented Nov. 9, 193 7 MNHED STATES 2,098,627 airman. smart Eugene Jeanie.

Beaumont, Tex.

Application January 3, 1935, Serial No. are

.1 Claim.

This invention relates to an aerial bomb or shell, the general object of the invention being to provide means whereby a plurality of bullets are discharged from the device when the same strikes the ground.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in'detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

. Fig. 1 is an elevation showing one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation with parts broken away showing another form of the invention- Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Flg. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the pper part of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view through the invention. i

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through the lower part of Fig. l. 1

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary interior view of the inner cylinder showing how the recess for a trigger member is arranged therein.

Fig. 8 is a view of one of the trigger members.

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view showing how the trigger member engages the cartridge, in the modified device of Fig. 2.

In these drawings, the body A of the device is composed of the inner cylinder i and the outer cylinder 2, each cylinder having a plurality of holes .31 in its side walls and short tubes i are located between the two cylinders with their ends suitably connected to said cylinders and the bores of the tubes are in alignment with the holes in the cylinders and form barrels for the cartridges 5. The inner end of each hole in the inner cylinder l is countersunk to receive the rim of the cartridge as shown. A third cylinder 6 is placed within the inner cylinder and is of greater thickness than the other cylinders and is formed with the substantially L-shaped openings 1 and the holes 8, there being one of these openings 1 and a hole 8 adjacent each cartridge. An angleshaped trigger member 9 has its long limb fastened to a sloping wall of the opening I and the short limb carries a pin III which passes through the hole 8, the trigger member being of spring material and having a portion of its long limb and the short limb extended into the cylinder 6.

Upper and lower cover pl H are ly attached to the ends of the cylinders I and 2,- and each cover plate has an opening therein of the same diameter as the interior diameter of the cylinder l and a hammer member I2 is slidably arranged in the cylinder 6, the hammer member having a cylindrical part and conical part with the stem it connected to said partswith one stem extending upwardly and the other downwardly and the upper end of the upper stem carries the blades M which cause the device to drop in a vertical position.

In that form of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 4 and 6, the lower part of lower stem 3 carries a disk l5 which is adapted to strike the cupshaped bottom member it on the lower end of the device when the device strikes the ground so that the hammer member will not penetrate the ground as it moves downwardly when the device strikes the ground and comes to a sudden stop which causes the hammer member to move downwardly to the position shown inFig. 4 and during this movement of the hammer member, it will move the trigger members outwardly and thus cause the pins iii to explode the cartridges and the bullets will pass from the side walls of the device in all directions.

In that form of the device shown in Fig. 2, the lower stem 03' has a pointed end and carries a disk so that when this disk strikes the ground, the hammer member will come to a sudden stop while the body of the device continues to move downwardly and thus the hammer mem-- ber l2 will explode the cartridges by means of the trigger members as the body moves downwardly and the hammer member is held stationary. In this form of the device, the trigger members are reversed as shown in Fi 9.

The cylinder 6 can be removed through the top of the device but is held in place by the bolts 2a which pass through the inner and outer cylinders into holes formed in the cylinder 6 as shown in Fig. 4. As many of these bolts can be used as desired and they may be placed at each end of the device. Thus, by removing the bolts, the cylinder 6 can be removed from the device to permit the cartridges to be placed in position and then the cylinder 6 is replaced and the bolts are replaced to hold the cylinder in position.

I also provide latch members 2| and 22 for preventing the hammer member -fromvdropping out of the device when it is being transported from place to place, the members 2| being pivoted to the cylinder 6 and the members 22 to the hammer member and these latch members are arranged as shown in Fig. 3 when the device is being transported from place to place. Just before the device is dropped, these latch members are swung to inoperative position.

I also firmly attach spring strips 23 to the hammer member and these strips overlap thecylinder 6, as shown in Fig. 3. When the device strikes the ground, these strips will bend and thus permit the hammer member to move downwardly through the cylinder 6. p

In order to prevent turning movement of the hammer member when the device is being transported or stored, I provide a small key 24 which engages the short keyway in the top part of the hammer member l2, the key being fastened to the top of the cylinder 6 as shown in Fig. 3. Thus, as before stated, this key and keyway will prevent rotary movement of the hammer member.

It will, of course, be understood that as many of the latch members can be used as desired, as

well as the strips 23. Also the barrels 4 and holes 3 can be arranged in the device as desired and need not be arranged in vertical rows as shown, the idea being to have the bullets pass from the device in all directions, when the device strikes the ground after it is dropped from an aircraft so that the bullets will inflict the maximum amount of damage to the enemy troops. While Fig. 2 does not show the bladed upper end of the stem, it is to be understood that this form of the device is also provided with this bladed stem.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

A device of the class described, comprising a cylindrical body, radially arranged barrels carried by the body for receiving cartridges, a cylinder removably fitting in the body for holding the cartridges in the barrels, means for removably holding the hylinder in the body, firing means carried by the cylinder for firing the cartridges, a hammer member slidably arranged in the cylinder for operating the firing means when the device strikes the ground, a casing-at the lower end of the body and the hammer member having a part at its lower end for engaging the bottom of the casing, whereby when said bottom of the cas- 

